North West women in Home Internationals

THERE are five new caps, two from the North West, in the England team for the Ladies’ Home Internationals at Aberdovey on September 17-19.

Three of them were members of the England team which recently won the Girls’ Home Internationals for the seventh successive year: India Clyburn of Lincolnshire, Alice Hewson of Hertfordshire and Hollie Muse of Lancashire. The other two are Gemma Clews of Cheshire and Bethan Popel of Gloucestershire.

They will joined established internationals Sarah-Jane Boyd of Cornwall, Gabriella Cowley of Hertfordshire and Alex Peters of Nottinghamshire. The reserve is Emma Goddard of Cheshire. The team will be captained by Chris Pascall of Hartlepool, Durham, and the coach is Yorkshire’s Steve Robinson.

England were third in last year’s Home Internationals, having won the title for the previous two years. The 2013 champions were Wales who will be defending on home ground.

The players:

Sarah-Jane Boyd, 22, (Truro, Cornwall) has had a string of high finishes this season: she was runner-up in the British stroke play, which she won in 2012; third in her defence of the English amateur; third in the English stroke play; and runner-up in the English mid-amateur. She also won the Hampshire Rose at the start of the season.

Gemma Clews, 19, (Delamere Forest, Cheshire) has won two scratch events this season: the Pleasington Putter and the inaugural Delamere Comboy Trophy. She was third in the Welsh open stroke play, sixth in the English amateur and 12th in the British stroke play.

India Clyburn, 17, (Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire) is the English girls’ champion and had a perfect record at Girls’ Home Internationals, winning all six of her matches. She is also the Scottish junior stroke play champion and was runner-up in the Critchley Salver.

Gabriella Cowley, 18, (Hanbury Manor, Hertfordshire) played in the 2014 Curtis Cup match and is representing England in the World Amateur Team Championship. She was runner-up in this year’s Portuguese amateur championship and helped to win the Nations Cup for England at the Helen Holm Scottish stroke play championship.

Alice Hewson, 17, (Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) won the Critchley Salver at Sunningdale and the U18 prize at the St Rule Trophy where she also helped England win the Nations Cup and was fourth overall. She was sixth in the English girls’ championship and ninth in the English women’s amateur. Last year she was in England’s winning team at the European Young Masters, won the Scottish U16s and the girls’ title at the Telegraph BMW Golf Championship.

Hollie Muse, 14, (West Lancashire, Lancashire), has just won the girls’ title at the North of England U16 championship and was runner-up in the English U15 girls’ championship. She was also runner-up in the girls’ event at the Fairhaven Trophies and tied eighth at the St Rule Trophy at St Andrews. She is the youngest-ever Lancashire ladies’ champion.

Alex Peters, 20, (Notts Ladies’, Nottinghamshire) was third in both the British stroke play and the English amateur championships; and sixth in the English stroke play. She won The Leveret at the start of the season and topped the 2013 England Golf women’s order of merit, sponsored by Lorrin Golf.

Bethan Popel, 19, (Long Ashton, Gloucestershire) helped England win the Nations Cup at the St Rule Trophy, among a string of good results this season which have included fifth place in the English amateur, seventh place in the women’s Welsh stroke play, 12th place in the Helen Holm Scottish stroke play and 11th in the Portuguese amateur.

Emma Goddard, 23, (Royal Liverpool, Cheshire) had top five finishes in both the St Rule Trophy and the Welsh stroke play. She was 10th in the English stroke play and 11th in the British, and tied second in the Pleasington Putter.